Today we spent exploring Point Reyes National Seashore. We went so we could stick our feet in the Pacific Ocean, but also to see the fault line from the 1906 earthquake and the lighthouse. It was also Uncle Pooge's birthday!!
We learned about the San Andres fault line that separates the Pacific tectonic plate from the North American plate. Normally the Pacific plate moves only 2 inches a year, but in 1906 it jumped 20 feet causing the San Francisco earthquake!
These two fences represent a single fence that split apart 16 feet during the earthquake!
After visiting the fault line we ate lunch at a cute little deli and then drove to the Point Reyes Lighthouse. Uncle Pooge walked the mile to the lighthouse with us. We were walking along the cliffs overlooking the ocean and it was very windy and chilly.
Bishop Pine clung to the edge of the cliff.
According to their website Point Reyes is "the windiest place on the Pacific Coast and the second foggiest place on the North American continent". So it would seem a lighthouse is something of a necessity! The Point Reyes Lighthouse was opened in 1870 and carefully situated low enough to be able to shine under the thick fog canopies. Until 1975 it helped protect boats leaving and entering San Francisco Bay. The lighthouse keeper didn't sleep in the lighthouse, but instead climbed down to it each day.
Climbing down the 300 plus stairs wasn't so bad, but climbing up was a little more challenging!
While driving we saw several dairy farms that grazed their cows very close to the ocean!
Uncle Pooge took us right down to the Great Beach (also known as Point Reyes Beach) so we could stick our feet in the Pacific Ocean!
It...was...freezing!
A large pile of kelp. Uncle Pooge wanted us to pretend we were being eaten by it...
Caught by a "sneaker", or a wave that is unexpectedly larger, stronger, and reaches higher up the beach.
Ok, so we were supposed to both be jumping at the same time while Uncle Pooge took our picture. It looks like Emily has got it down, but Michaela not so much.
Emily: "Woo hoo! I'm in the Pacific!"
Michaela: "I'm jumping in my heart..."
Now Michaela is actually jumping, but she's sadly suffering from the beard hair syndrome again...
Emily and Uncle Pooge
After coming home from the beach it was time to celebrate for Uncle Pooge's birthday!
The banner we made him.
We went out to dinner at Tomatina's Italian Restaurant. Delicious!
Emily had helped Aunt Carole make individual raspberry cheesecakes. They were really yummy!
Uncle Pooge at it again with his duck call :)
The gang who went to celebrate (minus us).
Ron (Aunt Carole's brother), Nancy (Aunt Carole's sister in law), Samantha (Aunt Carole's daughter)
There was this weird fountain that was in the shape of a head... No one could really tell us why...
We stopped at a kitchen store afterwards. One of the mixers there was pink!
We both loved this oven, it was so cute! Not so cute, the price ($8,600).
It was a fun day of visiting the beach and celebrating Uncle Pooge's birthday!
-Michaela and Emily
